Use of toll booths for collecting fees along heavily trafficked highways and roadways is a common practice for generating revenue for many jurisdictions. In order to facilitate the quick and efficient collection of these fees and to prevent “bottlenecking” at the toll booths, many jurisdictions have incorporated wireless electronic tags that seamlessly transmit subscriber information to a transceiver at the toll booth, which then automatically deducts the appropriate fees from an existing account established by the tag owner. In that way, a driver may simply pass a toll booth and have the appropriate fees paid without having to bring his vehicle to a stop.
The electronic tags are typically small portable units that are placed inside a vehicle so that when a toll booth is passed, the tag retransmits signals to a transceiver at a toll booth. Oftentimes, the tags are attached to a front windshield of a vehicle so that its signal to the toll booth is unobstructed. However, this often leaves the tag in open view making it highly susceptible to theft.
One solution to this problem is to embed the electronic tag in between two layers of glass in a vehicle's windshield, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,275,157 to Mays et al. This prevents unwanted tampering, but also bars access to the tag. If the tag malfunctions or otherwise becomes inoperative, or if the vehicle is sold, it is impossible to access the tag without destroying the windshield. It would also be advantageous to provide an electronic tag that can be accessed without having to destroy or break portions of the vehicle.